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Access Atlanta > American Idol Buzz > Archives > 2008 > March > 16
Sunday, March 16, 2008
3/16: Whatever happened to… season two, Vanessa Olivarez in “Peachtree Battle”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Courtesy of the USA Today special newsstand-only “Idol” section, I’m reviewing what each year’s finalists are up to. In no particular order:
Carmen Rasmussen (6th) - It took her four years but she finally has a record deal in Nahsville on an indie label and came out with an album last year. (It has sold 4,000 copies). She even published a book last year and got married in 2005.
Rickey Smith (8th) - He’s a bartender at a sports bar in Oklahoma City.
Kimberly Caldwell (7th) — She’s the TV Guide Network’s official correspondent for reality TV and co-hosts “Idol Wrap” and “Reality Chat.” I’ll be interviewing her Tuesday about this season.
Corey Clark (disqualified in what would have been ninth place for not revealing a past criminal charge.) - Neither I, nor USA Today, have heard much from him lately, which is probably a good thing.
Julia DeMato (10th) — She’s a cosmetologist and single mom.
Josh Gracin (4th) He plays at Cowboys frequently. His first CD sold more than 600,000 copies and had three top 20 hits. None of the songs pitched forward onto country radio in recent months have done nearly as well and his sophomore release had been delayed until next month.
Charles Grigsby (11th) - He’s a cable technician in northeast Ohio.
Trenyce (5th) - She’s stayed busy, acting and singing on stage, including Vegas. She’s set to do a tour in Japan later this year.
Clay Aiken (2nd) — We know about him. He’s now doing “Spamalot” on Broadway.
Ruben Studdard (winner) - He’s working on his fourth album and sings the farewell song on “Idol.” He is set to perform in “Ain’t Misbehavin’ ” later this year.
Vanessa Olivarez (12th) — She was gypped, gypped, gypped. She has performed in “Hairspray” in Toronto. She has been in two bands, Butterfly Stitch and country band South 70. South 70 and she parted ways last year. She said some members felt she didn’t have the right look for Nashville. I got a copy of her South 70 album and she sounds great. Now she’s performing in the longest-running play in Atlanta history, “Peachtree Battle,” as Candler Habersham, the daughter of the main character Trudy Habersham. Candler has a self-esteem problem fueled by her picky mom. This means frequent dress changes and occasional facial ticks.
Vanessa brings plenty of her Bette Midler moxie to the role, fitting right in with the rest of the cast.
Here are some photos I took from the play Saturday night:
ABOVE: Vanessa (right) with Karen Beyer, who plays drunken grandma Azalea Wieuca.
*ABOVE: Vanessa sandwiched by Scott Serafin (left, playing her brother Ansley) and Stan Gentry (playing her other brother Holcomb)
ABOVE: Vanessa’s character Candler Habersham (right) gets advice from “Hooters” gal Tiffani Storrs (played by Tanya Fraser).
ABOVE: Dan Tucker (left, playing the dad Sherwood) and Vanessa react to something Laura Griffin (playing Trudy Habersham) said.
ABOVE: Stan Gentry (above left), Vanessa and Karen Beyer (below)
